Rishi Sunak apologises for wearing Adidas Samba trainers after footwear mockery

10 April 2024 , 09:04

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Rishi Sunak was ridiculed after posting a video of himself wearing Adidas trainers

Rishi Sunak has issued a "fulsome apology" to the Adidas Samba community after posting a photo of himself wearing the trainers.

The PM was forced to respond to a global wave of ridicule he received after last week posting a video on Instagram of him wearing suit trousers, a white shirt and the Adidas fashion trainers.

American sites like CNN said Mr Sunak had ended the reign of the favourite shoe, which has been donned by popstars Rihanna and Harry Styles, models Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner and Normal People star Paul Mescal. Meanwhile fashion and lifestyle magazines including Dazed and GQ respectively said "Rishi has killed Sambas" and asked: "Can Rishi Sunak leave the Adidas Samba alone, please?" Tory-supporting newspaper the Telegraph even said the trainer has been “killed off by Rishi in one fell swoop".

Rishi Sunak posted a video of himself in Downing Street

Asked about "destroying the fashion icon" by LBC's Nick Ferrari, Mr Sunak laughed and apologised for the apparent faux pas. But he defended wearing the shoe saying he had been a "long-time devotee" of them for many years and questioned the level of interest in his fashion choices.

He said: "Well, I issue a fulsome apology to the Samba community," he said. "But in my in my defence I would say I have been wearing Adidas and Sambas and others, in fact, for many, many years. It's the first pair my brother got for me many, many years ago. [I got] my first pair of fun Adidas trainers as a Christmas present and I haven't looked back since so I've been a long-time devotee." Asked if he bought the pair he was wearing on Instagram, he said: "That pair I did but I've had Adidas trainers for a very, very long time."

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Harry Styles chose the style of shoe for the red carpet (JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/)

Normal People's Paul Mescal has sported the shoe (Getty Images)

Earlier this month Mr Sunak was forced to hit back at critics claiming his trousers are too short. He laughed at the critique saying he didn't think they are "that short", telling the Sun: “I tend not to like lots of baggy, baggy stuff at the bottom of my ankle. I don’t think they are that short.”

In summer 2022, he was criticised for wearing a pair of £490 Prada suede shoes to a building site. A month later, the multimillionaire PM was accused of "dressing down" after wearing shoes with holes in.

Sophie Huskisson